Small Space Squad Home Tour: Tanika Rottura

I’m really having a LOT of wistful feelings about phasing out of the Small Space Squad… especially because, through it, I’ve discovered some truly amazing and talented people. It’s really allowed me to open my eyes (and this blog) to different aesthetics, personal goals, and lifestyles. I hope you’ve had that WOW moment, too, during the evolution of this blog series. And I hope you’ll join me in one more WOW experience because the home of Tanika Rottura definitely deserves it. Let’s take a peek into her eclectic, brightly hued world!

Small Space Squad Home Tour: Inside the colorful, eclectic, and curated NYC home of Tanika Rottura, small house with big style #smallspaces #tinyhouse #livesmall #smallspacesquad #hometour #housetour #minimalist #minimalism #maximalist #colorfulhome

Home Tour: Inside The Eclectic & Curated Home of Tanika Rottura

Who: Tanika Rottura

Where: Upper East Side, Manhattan, NYC

Number of years spent living small: 7 years in our apartment

Small Space Squad Home Tour: Inside the colorful, eclectic, and curated NYC home of Tanika Rottura, small house with big style #smallspaces #tinyhouse #livesmall #smallspacesquad #hometour #housetour #minimalist #minimalism #maximalist #colorfulhome

To start, tell me your story about how you ultimately ended up choosing a small space?

To start, we had a vacation house in PA for 10 years that we built from scratch and it was the biggest place we owned together (1,648 square feet) and maintaining it took up most of our time. We decided to sell it and buy an apartment in Manhattan that had a staff and amenities. I love having less to clean and decorating is so fun in a small apartment.

What is your biggest challenge in your small space?

Storage space can be challenging for me as I love to switch things up a bit.

What is your favorite part about living small?

Less to clean up and worry about

What is your number one hack for living small?

Our IKEA Malm shelving units saved our lives

Small Space Squad Home Tour: Inside the colorful, eclectic, and curated NYC home of Tanika Rottura, small house with big style #smallspaces #tinyhouse #livesmall #smallspacesquad #hometour #housetour #minimalist #minimalism #maximalist #colorfulhome

Do you ever feel pressure to be “minimalistic” or feel guilty about buying things you don’t “need” for your home?

I try to be as minimal as possible but I think I’m between maximalist and minimalist; is there a word for this?

What have you learned about yourself by living small?

I keep things in order and have a great system for storing items.

Small Space Squad Home Tour: Inside the colorful, eclectic, and curated NYC home of Tanika Rottura, small house with big style #smallspaces #tinyhouse #livesmall #smallspacesquad #hometour #housetour #minimalist #minimalism #maximalist #colorfulhome

What’s your number one storage hack?

The drawers under our bed and my clear locker cube

Who is your biggest small space inspiration?

I love Libertine designer Johnson Hartig’s LA home

What do your friends and family say about your choice to live small?

They will love any space that I decorate because I know how to make it work. Having style is key.

Small Space Squad Home Tour: Inside the colorful, eclectic, and curated NYC home of Tanika Rottura, small house with big style #smallspaces #tinyhouse #livesmall #smallspacesquad #hometour #housetour #minimalist #minimalism #maximalist #colorfulhome

Thank you so much to Tanika Rottura for giving us a peek into your amazing home! Be sure to follow her Instagram feed for more inspiration.

You can find even more Small Space Squad Home Tours here:

Photography by Tanika Rottura, used with permission.

Behind The Blog

Joanna Hawley-McBride is a Pacific Northwest-based social media strategist, content creator, and former textile designer. Joanna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jojotastic, a lifestyle blog focused on Joanna’s work-in-progress cabin, finding the best pair of underwear through #UnderwearThesis, and empowering women to explore nature — all in her signature unfiltered style. Her work has been featured in Domino, CNBC, and Eating Well.

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